Refrigerator



Aug. 28, B923. 1,466,440

F. c. MEs ET AL REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 12. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q l OInvenTors. Fesse'nden C. Ar es Harry L.Mernl| by MdSWA-{MM I A? Iys Aug.28, 1923.

F. C. AMES ET AL REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 12 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M 7 Wm0 .mr.H 4 m v M 9 n d 3 n veVI n H o d 5H 5 m .m v! b FESSENDEN 0. AMESAND HARRY L. MERRILL, 0F NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE,

ASSIGNORS TO ISAAC FRANK STEVENS, DOING BUSINESS AS MAINE MANUFAC-TUBING COMPANY, AT NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

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Application filed August 12, 1921. I Serial No. 491,685.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FESSENDEN C. Arms and HARRY L. MERRIIL, bothcitizens of the United States, residing at Nashua, county ofHillsborough, State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement inRefrigerators, of which the following description, in connection withthe accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on thedrawing representin like parts.

This invention re ates to a refrigerator provided with a sheet metallining and to the construction both of the entire device and of thelining itself. The invention in man of its features is not limited tothe particular use to which the completed article may be put and is,therefore, not to be limited to refrigerators.

The object of the invention is particularly to provide a sheet metallining, referably of a one-piece construction, whic may be coated withenamel by an enameling process, requiring the application of intenseheat. Refrigerators provided with a sheet metal lining coated with whiteenamel form a very efficient and popular product, but there are manydifliculties involved in the construction of such a product, and thisinvention is primarily designed to obviate these difficulties.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient meansfor clamping the metal lining to the framework of the cabinet, which isusually of wood, so that the edges of the lining can be drawn snugly.against the framework and without injury to the lining.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for properlysupporting the plates of which the lining is made so that they will notbecome distorted or thrown out of position when subjected to the intenseheat of an enameling process.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear morefully from. the accompanying description and drawings and will beparticularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings represent the invention embodied in a refrigerator of theordinary household type. y

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator cabinet with the doors ofthe food closets removed.

F1g.-2 is a view in horizontal cross section of a refrigerator embodyinga preferred form of the invention taken through the cablnet and liningon the line indicated at 22 of Fig. 4.

i Fig. 3 is a detail in horizontal cross section of the hollow postforming a part of the hnin r taken on the plane of the line 33 of ig. 4.

F 1g. 4 is a erspective view of the complete lining a apted for thecabinet shown 1n Fig. 1.

F "g. 5 is .a detail in vertical cross section taken on the line 5-5 ofFig. 2. The lining, which is shown in perspective 1n Fig. 4, ispreferably made of metal plates welded or otherwise permanently securedtogether, and preferably into the L shaped form illustrated, thusproviding the lining for the food closets and leaving the refrigeratlonor ice containing closet to be otherwise constructed in any suitablemanner. The entire lining, with the exception of the clamping devicesand shelf holding devices, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is subjected to anenameling plrocess requiring the application of intense eat through theentire device. Thus the interior surfaces of the lining are coated withthe enameling compound fused or baked thereon, and usually white incolor. This not only gives a pleasing effect to the interior of the foodclosets but also pro duces a surface which may be readily cleansed andkept clean. Great difficulty is experienced, however, in maintaining theshape and relation of the elements of the lining during the enamelingoperation owing to the intense heat, which tends t warp and distort theelements.

The L shaped lining, shown as an embodiment of the invention, comprisesa sheet metal bottom plate 1 of rectangular form, provided with anaperture 2 for the waste pipe and along its front edge with a downturned flange 3. This flange acts to stiffen the front edge of thebottom plate throughout its entire length. A short side plate 4 extendsupwardly at one side from and is welded to the bottom plate and a longside plate 5 extends up from the other side of the bottom plate andis-welded thereto. These side plates at their front edges are providedwith the outwardly bent flanged portions 6 and 7, and preferably theplates in the rear of the flanges 6 and 7 are bent to form the reentrantsections 8 and 9 respectively, so that the outer edges of the flanges.(i and 7 come about in line with the outer surfaces of the plates 4 and5 respectively. Thesereentrant sections not only provide great rigidityand stiffness to the front edges of the side plates but they also enablethe clamping devices hereinafter described to have a direct action.

A top plate 10 is welded to the topedge ofthe side plate 5 and extendslaterally therefrom toward the middle. An intermediate partition plate11 extends downwardly from the top plate with 'its body ortionterminating in a flanged edge 12 well above the bottom plate 1, so as toprovide ample space therebeneath for the circulation of air. Thispartition plate is also provided near the top with a suitablecirculating aperture 13, this aperture being flanged at 14 at its loweror otherwise unsupported edge. At its front edge the partition plate isprovided with a flange 15 and a reentrant front section 16 in the samemanner as the side plates. This portion of the artition plate extendsdownwardly to th bottom plate in the construction illustrated.

An L shaped back plate 17 is welded to the rear edges of the top,bottom, side, and partition plates. The unsupported edge of this backplate 17 is flanged at 18 and the top edge of the side plate 4is flangedat 19 to stiffen these edges. Thus it will be seen that the unsupportededges of the various plates are stiffened and strengthened by theflanged constructions illustrated, and the plates being welded orpermanently secured together at their meeting edges there is thus'roduced a very firm and rigid structure. he lower front corner of theinter mediate or partition plate 11 must be securely held in position orthis plate will be distorted when heated. To prevent this result, thiscorner is rigidly connected to the bottom plate by a post construction.For this purpose the reentrant front section 16 and the flange 15 arecarried down and welded to the bottom plate 1. Preferably this portionunites with an additional section of sheet metal 20 bent into an opposedform with an opposing front. flange 21 to form a vertical hollow post,as illustrated. The edge of the section 20 abuts the rear edge of thedepending section 16 and is welded thereto and the entire bottom edge ofthe post is welded to the bottom plate 1. This forms a very firm andrigid connection between the lower front corner of the plate 11 and thebottom plate, so that any danger of distortion of the plate 11 isprevented.

The bottom plate 1 is formed with an aperture 22 passing therethrough atthe interior of the post, and preferably conforming in shape to thebottom of the post. The front edge of the bottom plate 1, carrying theflange 3, is preferably carried forward a little of the plane of theflanges 6, 21, 15, and 7, so that this portion with the flange at thefront of the aperture is firm and rigid. Preferably also, the frontportion of the post is left open longitudinally.

The aperture 22 prevents the bottom plate from being distorted in thevicinity of the post and the front opening of the post assists therein.The localization of the large amountof heat, due to the concentration ofmetal in the post where it connects with the bottom plate, is thusprevented by the aperture 22, which allows a-free circulation of air atthis important point.

The upper front corner of the side plate 4 is rigidly held in positionduring the enameling operation by a temporary brace 23 connected theretoand to the top of the post, and this brace is preferably removed aftercooling and forms no part of the permanent structure. 1

The cabinet for the lining may be of any suitable form and constructionbut essentially comprises a front frame, herein shown as made of woodand secured to the sides 24.- of the cabinet by screws 25. This frame inthe form illustrated is provided with suitable doors for the food andice compartments. The door 26 of the ice compartment is shown in placeand closed, while the other doors, not shown, are to be fitted to theremaining openings.

This front frame is shown as built up of suitable wooden members 27rigidly secured together in the usual manner.- Preferably the frame onthe rear face is provided with vertical reinforcing wooden members 28.Thcinteri-or of the cabinet may be insulated in any suitable manner asby the insulator 29 and interior casing 30.

The completed sheet metal enamel lining is secured to the front frameand clamped thereto so as to bring the flanges of the various plates inclose contact therewith, producing tight joints and a pleasing effect.For this purpose clamping connections are secured to the side walls ofthe plates and to the front frame so that, when these clampingconnections are drawn up, the flanges are clamped firmly a ainst therear surface of the frame. T is arrangement enables the flanges to giveor yield slightly and make the desired fit. These clamping connectionsmay be located at suitable positions on the lining, and each is shown ascomprising an angle plate 31, the longer arm of which is secured tothe-lining plate as by a bolt 32, and the shorter member of which isprovided with a hole 33 through which a screw 34 passes into the frame.This angle plate is set back from the rear face of the frame so that,when the screw 34 is tightened. up, the flange of the lining plate maybe pulled up snugly against the frame. In order not to damage or injurethe lining, the bolts 32 are preferably in most cases part of the studswhich support the shelves in the food closets. These studs 35 arescrewed to the inner end of the bolts against the opposite face of thelining. But where no shelf is employed, as in the lower left hand foodcompartment, a short cap or stud 36 may be employed.

The front frame is filled in at the front of the bottom plate with astrip 37 of wood and the flange 3 of the bottom, plate is clamped upagainst this strip by a clamping strip 38, held in place by screws 39 soas to give a tight joint at the bottom.

If deslred, finishing strips 40 of wood or other suitable material maybe placed at the edges of the door openings of the frame and providedwith inward beveled edges abutting the flanges of the lining plates, andthese strips may be drawn tightly in place by nails 41.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An L shaped sheet metal cabinet lining comprising a bottom platehaving a flange at its front edge, a long and a short side plateextending upwardly from the bottom plate, a top plate extendinglaterally from the long side plate, and intermediate partition plateextending downwardly from the top plate with its body portionterminating well above the bottom plate, an L shaped back plateconnecting the top, bottom, side, and partition plates, and a hollowvertical post connecting the lower front corner of the partition plateand the bottom plate, the bottom plate having an aperture therethroughat the post interior, whereby the lower front corner of the partitionplate is rigidly held in position and distortion of the bottom plate inthe vicinity of its junction with the post is precluded when the liningis heated as in an enameling process.

2. An L shaped sheet metal cabinet lining having the constructiondefined in claim 1 in which the hollow vertical post is provided with anextended longitudinal opening.

3. A sheet metal cabinet lining comprising in its structure a flat metalplate having a flange along one edge and an aperture.

in the plate adjacent the flanged edge and a hollow sheet metal postpermanently secured to and projecting from said plate around the edge ofsaid aperture, whereby distortion of the plate is precluded when thestructure is submitted to intense heat as in an enameling operation.

4. A cabinet comprising a casing having a front frame, a sheet metallining having transversely flanged front edges, and clamping meansconnecting the side walls of the lining to the front frame, whereby theflanged edges of the lining may be drawn up tightly against the frame.

5; A cabinet comprising a casing having a front frame, a sheet metallining having vertical walls presenting transverse flanges, shelfsupporting studs mounted in and passing through said walls, and clampingconnections secured to said studs and to said frame and acting, whendrawn up, to hold the flanges tightly against the frame.

6. A cabinet comprising a casing having a front frame, a sheet metallining having vertical walls presenting reentrant front sectionsprovided with transverse flanges, shelf supporting studs mounted in andpassing through said walls, and clamping connections secured to saidstuds and to said frame and acting, when drawn up, to hold the flangestightly against the frame.

7. A sheet metal cabinet lining comprising a bottom plate having aflange at its front edge, a vertical plate having its body portionterminating well above the 'bottom plate, a hollow vertical postconnecting the lower front corner of the vertical plate and the bottomplate, the bottom late having an aperture therethrough at t e postinterior, whereby the lower front corner of the vertical plate isrigidly held in position with respect to the bottom plate and distortionof the bottom plate in the vicinity of its junction with the post isprecluded when the lining is heated as in an enameling process. a

8. A sheet metal cabinet lining comprising a bottom plate having aflange along its front edge, a vertical plate having its bodyportion'terminating well above the bottom plate and provided at itsfront edge with e flanged portion extending down to the bottoin plate, ahollow vertical post comprising in its construction the said extendedflanged portion of the vertical plate and therewith connecting the lowerfront corner of the vertical plate and the bottom plate, the bottomplate having an aperture therethrough in line with the post interior andin the rear of the front edge flange, whereby the lower front corner ofthe vertical plate is rigidly held in position and distortion of thebottom plate in the vicinity of its junction with the post is precludedwhen the lining is heated as in an enameling process.

9. An L shaped sheet metal cabinet lining comprisingl an integral bottomplate, a long and a s ort side integral plate extending upwardly fromthe bottom plate, an integral top plate extending laterallv from thelong side plate, an intermediate integral partition plate extendingdownwardly from the top plate with its body portion terminating wellabove the bottom ing comprising the construction defined in claim 9,together with a temporary brace connecting the upper front edge of theshort side plate and the said post to prevent distortion of the saidside plate.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

FESSENDEN 0. AMES. HARRY L. MERRILL.

